Do it for Johnny
by MirellaArabesque
Summary: Johnny and Dally were more than friends- their bond went deeper than the others knew. Starts before Johnny gets beat up and ends the night of the rumble. Johnny/Dally slash, switches POV. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Outsiders_; it belongs to the wonderful S.E. Hinton.

A/N: Update is coming very, very soon. Please review? It would make me very, very happy.

* * *

I was in love with Dallas Winston.

If someone looked at me, they wouldn't guess. I mean, for one thing, we were both guys, and I wasn't… well, I didn't act… gay. And Dally was dangerous. I was as jumpy as a Mexican bean. Nobody would expect someone as nervous as me to fall for someone like him. Plus, he seemed so much older than me. In reality, there was only a year's difference- he was sixteen and I was fifteen- but my innocence was a sharp contrast to his vast knowledge of all things adult and forbidden.

Even physically, we were different. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and I was still short and narrow; my body hadn't turned to that of a man yet. My brown skin and black hair looked even darker next to his light features. And confidence was the biggest difference. When Dallas walked, he strutted, hands in pockets and, often as not, cigarette in his mouth. I kept my head down and tried not to be noticed.

Still, love and reason didn't keep company- didn't Shakespeare say that? And I guess that's sort of why I fell head over heels for him.

I understood why I liked _him_- he was wild and unpredictable and passionate. I was timid and jumpy and unsure of myself. What I couldn't see was what he saw in me.

The first time I ever knew he returned my feelings was a September night, before I ever got beat up and the whole murder thing ever happened. I had stayed out in the lot as usual, 'cause my parents were fighting and I didn't wanna have to deal with that. One minute I was curled up on the ground sleeping and the next a big foot was nudging me in the stomach.

"Hey, kid," Dally said, grinning. For a second I was confused- what time was it; why was Dally there; why was he waking me up? Then I smiled back up at him and sat up. "Hey."

He sat down next to me and took a drag on what was left of his cigarette. I asked what time it was and he said it was around two. "Well, why the hell'd ya wake me up then?"

Suddenly Dally was serious. "I gotta talk to you," he said, voice husky from years of smoking. I knew mine was headed the same direction if I didn't cut back.

I paused, but he didn't go on. "So talk," I told him.

"Look, Johnny," he stopped again and took a deep breath. "This is gonna sound crazy, but please, just hear me out."

"Okay."

"Seriously, like, absolutely nuts."

I glared at him. "Enough with the suspense." I wasn't quite so shy back then, and I knew that I could get away with saying stuff to Dally that most people would get beat up for.

"Okay, look, Johnnycake, I, uh… well, see"-

"Spit it out, Dally!" I almost yelled, and then ducked in case he decided to hit me. He didn't.

"I'm trying," he sighed. "What it is, is- well, you know we all love you. The whole gang." I nodded. "I love you… more. In a different sort of way. Like… well, yeah. I love you." He seemed confused, like he didn't really know if the words coming out of his mouth made sense.

"No joke?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry, man. I mean, I know it's weird and all, but…"

"I don't think it's weird." I can imagine how I must have looked- eyes wide, face utterly innocent. Dally looked like he thought I was a liar. "No, really. I think it's… well, I think it's great."

"Great?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, great," I said. "'Cause if you love me then it means I can do this." And then I kissed him.

For a second he didn't do anything, but then his arms went around me and held me close and he started kissing me back. We kissed until I pulled back involuntarily, gasping- damn body needed to breathe- and he yanked me back for more as soon as I'd gotten a few lungfuls of air.

Still kissing me, Dally pulled off his jean jacket and started unbuttoning mine. I wasn't sure what he planned on doing out there in public at two in the morning with no bed or anything, but I sure wasn't arguing. My body was taking charge instead of my mind, and I found myself climbing into Dally's lap, one leg on each side of him.

He groaned. "Oh God, Johnny," he muttered into my lips before undoing the last button and sliding my jacket off my shoulders. Goosebumps rose on my skin and I wasn't entirely sure if they were from the chilly air or Dally's lips now pressing against my throat. It was my turn to moan as he sucked and bit just roughly enough to leave a slight mark. My hands slid down the side of his body to his hips, sliding fingers into belt loops and drawing closer until my chest was pressed flush to his and I could feel his heart drumming. Slowly I began to grind my hips and he gasped. It gave me a strange sense of pride to know that _I_ was the cause of that gasp.

Suddenly I felt pain in my neck when Dally bit harder than before. Somehow it felt really, really good. I let out a little whimper and he pulled back. He was grinning and there was laughter in his eyes.

"What?" I panted. "What's so funny?"

Dallas shook his head. "You." One of his fingers rubbed my cheek, his thumb brushed against my now-swollen lips. "You're so cute," he laughed softly. This was a side of Dally that I had never seen before, and I didn't just mean the making-out-with-a-guy side. I meant the sweetness and the feeling that he cared for something.

"Thanks," I replied, rolling my eyes. Then, feeling mischievous, I shifted my hips ever so slightly on top of his. I felt his pants grow a little tighter and heard the moan that he failed to stifle. Didn't sound like he thought I was just 'cute'…

"Johnny Cade," he warned, shaking his head and shoving my off of him. I landed on my side on the dead grass, laughing as my breathing finally slowed. Dally tossed me my jean jacket and as I slid it on, suddenly I was afraid. Was he really mad at me? Had I ruined any chance? But no, he smiled and pulled me close, leaning back until we were lying on the ground.

Dallas Winston was holding my in his arms and his breathing was growing even, and I was in heaven. As I drifted off, I thought I felt his teeth playfully bite my ear. I know he laughed and gave me a squeeze. Then I fell asleep.

When I woke up in the morning, the sun was up and Dally was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, Chapter 2 is finally up. This story is one of three chaptered fics I have going at the moment, and unfortunately I think it's going to take third priority. _All The Girls Love Alice_ is going to come first, then _A Redhead's Tale of Love, Life, and Lesbians_, and finally this one. Unless demand or whatever changes. So, be looking for more, 'cause I will keep writing, but be aware that it's coming slowly.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Outsiders_ or any of its hot boys.

* * *

When I woke up that morning, Johnny was in my arms. For a minute I was thrilled as memories came back- I told him, he kissed me, and we fell asleep in the lot- and then I realized the sun was up and anyone could come by and see us. So I quickly disentangled myself from him and jumped up.

_What am I getting myself into? _I wondered as I stared at the sleeping Johnny for a second. I was thinking hard as I turned around and started walking. I was crazy about the kid. Something about his innocence was charming and also somehow sexy. The idea that _I_ would be the one to show him how it's done, what it's like to be in a physical relationship- made me grin as I walked down the street.

My stomach growled and reminded me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. The grin I had been wearing turned into a frown and I reversed my direction, heading for the Curtis house. I knew I'd find something to eat there. Their eating habits were kinda weird, especially Soda's—he'd eat eggs, grape jelly, and chocolate cake for breakfast most days—but I'd learned to take what I could get.

The screen door slammed behind me and one of the Curtis brothers- Sodapop or Ponyboy, the voice wasn't deep enough to be Darry- yelled "Hey!"

"Hey," I replied, walking into the kitchen to find Soda finishing up some chocolate cake. He grinned at me.

"What's up, Dally?" Soda asked through a mouthful of food.

What's up? I almost laughed out loud. _Well, Soda, last night I confessed my love for Johnny and we made out and started taking our clothes off. And this morning I woke up with him in my arms in the lot. It was super sexy._

"Not too much, Sodapop, what about you?"

He shook his head and swallowed. "Late for work. You staying here?" Hurrying, he picked up his plate and glass of chocolate milk. He downed the milk on the way to the sink, then dropped the plate and the glass in.

"Maybe for a little while; I haven't got anything better to do." Soda didn't have any shoes on over his socks, and his shirt was unbuttoned. Looked like he really had slept in late.

He nodded. "Alright, that's cool. There's cake if you want it. Pony's asleep." He jammed his feet into the tennis shoes resting by the door. "See ya, Dally."

The door slammed, and he was gone. I got myself a big piece of cake- I really was starving- and settled down on the couch to eat. The TV was already on, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I was thinking about Johnny again.

God, I sounded so corny, but I'd never felt like this before. I wanted to punch myself for even thinking something like that, but it was true. Johnny was a _guy_, for one thing- and it wasn't like I was some queer. Then again, wouldn't it be easier to go out with a guy? I mean, aside from the whole not being able to be seen together in public thing. Guys are easier to understand than girls—we're not so complicated and we don't overreact as much. Plus, being a guy, I'm more likely to get what's going on in another guy's head than in a girl's.

But still… I was Dallas Winston, and Dallas Winston didn't love anybody or anything. I couldn't. Once you started caring about something too much, you were dead. I was tough, mean, and hard at seventeen years old, and I had planned on staying that way until I fell for Johnny Cade.

Who had just slammed the screen door and was walking into the Curtis' living room.

His eyes widened when he saw me, and he looked down and started backing out the door. "Johnnycake?" I asked. "Where the hell are you going?"

Johnny jumped at my voice and said in a shaky voice, "You're not mad?"

"What?"

"I thought you were mad," he explained. "When I woke up and you weren't there. 'Cause, you know, I thought maybe you were embarrassed about last night." Looking at the floor, he shoved his hands in his pockets and picked at the carpet with his foot.

"Nah," I replied. "I thought it might be best if nobody saw us like that, though." For a second he looked confused. "I was, uh, still holding you."

Johnny beamed. "Where's Pony?"

Taking a few steps closer, I put my hands on his arms. "Upstairs," I whispered. "Asleep." I didn't think it was possible, but Johnny's grin grew bigger.

"Soda?" he asked quietly.

"At work," I breathed in his ear. "Darry, too."

The small, dark boy pulled back just a little. His black eyes turned up to me and glowed with something- laughter, maybe? His lips were now turning up just a little, like they would be if he was hiding a laugh. But those almost-smiling lips were a bit farther from mine than I would like… so I leaned in to kiss him.

He melted and his body sagged into mine. I easily supported his weight, surprised at how light he was. After a few seconds I dragged him over to the couch and onto my lap.

This time I was a bit more aggressive with the kiss. I stuck my tongue in his mouth right away and held the back of his neck to keep him as close as possible. Our teeth even scraped together a few times. He was making little noises as I kissed him, and it was driving me absolutely crazy. I don't think I've ever wanted anything as badly as I wanted Johnny Cade right then. So I pushed him backwards until he was lying down on the couch and I was on top of him.

"Dally," he breathed, "I need…" He couldn't finish the sentence, but I didn't really need him to. I could tell what he needed from the way his hips helplessly ground against mine, and how tight his jeans were over his crotch. He needed the same thing I did.

I kissed his neck, sucking hard, and grabbed his erection. He gasped and his hips bucked upwards into my hand.

And then we heard a creak on the stairs.

Within half a second I was sitting up, staring at the TV, and Johnny was next to me but _not too close_, with a pillow over his lap to hide his… discomfort. Ponyboy walked in sleepily a few seconds later.

"Hey guys," he yawned. "Darry and Soda gone?"

Johnny's ears were bright red and his eyes were wide, and I didn't really trust him to speak at the moment, so I answered. "Yeah, Soda left right when I got here and Darry was already gone. There's cake."

As soon as Pony was out of the room I burst out laughing. "Dally, that ain't funny! Pony's right there!" Johnny whispered. I couldn't stop, especially when he shifted his hips, reminding me of the condition he was still in.

"Need a little help with that, Johnnycake?" I sniggered. He flipped me off and stood up, walking stiffly in the direction of the bathroom. I could tell he was trying very hard not to smile.

"Where'd Johnny go?" Ponyboy asked as he came back in with his plate.

"Oh, takin' care of business, you know," I chuckled.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: THERE BE MATURE CONTENT AHEAD. Not sure if I should up the rating to M or not for this one. Reviewers, your opinion on the rating?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own.

Stefan, 'tis for you. Sorry it took me so freakin' long.

* * *

Dally and I met a few times a week for about a month. To be honest, I had no idea what the hell I was doing half the time. He was cool, though, as always—and surprisingly patient with me. According to him, I became a pretty good kisser. I wouldn't know; I didn't have much practice before him.

About a week after that morning at the Curtis house, he took me over to Buck Merril's late at night. After a beer or two each, he led me to one of the bedrooms and locked the door.

The look in his eyes would have seemed hard and cold as he turned around to anyone but me. That stinging cold, I knew, was really fire, hot and needy. We stood there for a minute, judging each other. Up until then we had only made out and groped a little over clothes, but it was clear from the look in his eyes and the choice of location that tonight, there would be more. I was trying to figure out how far he would want to go, and I think he was trying to guess my limits.

After I'd had about all I could take, I closed the distance between us and kissed him. Dally kissed back, but differently than usual. He was being gentle. His tongue was in my mouth, but it explored slowly. His hands at the back of my neck seemed like he wanted to touch me, not lock me into place forever.

He broke away first (another thing that was unusual—normally his lung capacity was more than mine) after running his tongue over my lips one last time. Hands still on my neck, he looked down at me. His ice-blue eyes were honest and open. It was nice to see them that way; no walls and no shields.

"You okay?" he asked. After a second—maybe I looked confused—he clarified, "You look like a turkey in November, kid."

I shook my head. "Naw, I'm okay. I'm just not really sure…" I looked pointedly at the bed.

"Well, that's why I'm here, isn't it? It's cool." I guess I didn't look reassured, because he kissed me on the lips, just barely touching them. "Hey, relax. You don't hafta do anything."

"It's not…" I was getting frustrated. He didn't seem to understand. "I _want_ to, Dally, I just don't know how!"

Dallas grinned. I knew why. Apparently he thought it was cute when I got irritated. "Well lemme show you how, then." He kissed me again as he pulled me to the bed.

Climbing on top of me, I could tell Dally was careful not to put too much weight on my body. He propped himself up with one arm and let the other touch me all over, running up and down my side, over my chest, but never _down_, always too high for my taste. He yanked my shirt off over my head and quickly stopped kissing me for a second to remove his. I pulled him back hungrily as soon as it was off, enjoying my turn to touch. His mouth moved to my neck and formed a vacuum, pulling blood up to the skin, marking me. I loved it somehow. I loved that I was _his_.

Before long, I couldn't take it anymore. Without thinking—if I thought about it, I knew I wouldn't be able to do it—I slipped a hand under the waistband of Dally's jeans. He was straining at them already (as I was at mine) and he cursed and threw his head back when my fingers closed around his dick.

Within seconds our pants were off, and I could finally see him. I felt myself grow harder at the sight, and any doubts I may have had about being totally gay flew out the window when I saw Dally naked. Hell, even if I'd been straight I may have turned gay just for him. He grinned at seeing me too.

"Not too bad, Johnnycake," he laughed, eyes even more glazed with lust than before. As he kissed me, our full bodies pressed together, and I sighed at the feeling of skin on skin. My heartbeat quickened and I started to sweat when his hand brushed across my erection lightly. He started being a tease, running his fingers over my thighs and hips.

"Dally," I moaned, needing him so badly it hurt.

He just grinned. "What do you want, kid?"

By then I was too horny to be embarrassed. "Touch me!" I pleaded, and _finally_, he listened. There was a bottle of lotion on the little table next to the bed; he put some into his hand and grabbed me. I gasped.

For a few seconds I just laid there, too stunned to do anything. Then, after regaining my senses a bit, I reached for him. He stopped in his actions and allowed me to take a bit of the lotion off of his hands, and then I went to work.

I found that pleasuring him was easier if I didn't think about it. It really wasn't all that different from what I (and most other guys I knew) had been doing since I was thirteen—only this time, my hands moved on someone else's cock instead of my own. From the language Dally was using, it sounded like I was doing an okay job.

It did get more difficult, as my mind fought for awareness. Dally's hand was distracting me, making me focus more on the feeling than what I was doing. I was thrusting up into him helplessly after just a few minutes.

"Fuck, Johnny," he moaned at one point, covered in sweat and breathing hard. Seeing him like that, I couldn't take it. I came loudly and very hard, still moving my hand but barely noticing when Dally followed me over the edge.

I recovered slowly, gradually becoming able to think and breathe normally. "That okay for ya?" Dally asked, propping himself up on an elbow.

Still a little breathless, I nodded. "Yeah," I breathed loudly. "Yeah, that was okay." Dally looked down at me and I grinned. "Just kidding." I kissed him. "It was amazing."

"It better have been," he laughed. "You ain't gettin' your money back." Then he pulled me into his arms. We just lay like that for a while, naked and blissfully tired and satisfied. After about half an hour—maybe more, I honestly had no idea how much time had passed—he whispered in my ear, "Johnny? You awake?'

"Mmmm," I sighed sleepily, shifting slightly and settling in closer.

"Oh, so you're pretty tired, huh?" I didn't reply to that one, but I sensed a smart-aleck remark coming.

"So I guess you really couldn't go again, right, kid?"

My eyes snapped open and I sat up instantly.

"Well, Dally," I replied, grinning, "I guess if you really want me to…"

He shook his head. "Not you. I wanna try something."

I frowned; the idea of this suspicious 'something' was turning me on already, but I had no idea what he intended to do.

Until he leaned down and took me into his mouth.

If I hadn't already been hard, I sure as hell was then. I was staring down at Dallas fucking Winston, whose head was between my legs, and he was _sucking _me…. It was unbelievable.

He was good at it, too, or at least I thought so. He sucked; his head bobbed up and down; he deep-throated me a few times. I was gasping and moaning and occasionally crying out. My hands fisted in the bedsheets but before long that didn't feel like enough to hold me to the earth, so I reached one of them around to the back of Dally's head—gently at first, but then I held on tightly to his hair once I saw that it didn't seem to bother him.

Before long I was almost there again. "Dal-Dally!" I panted. "Oh God, Dal, I'm gonna come!" I yelled, and with one last suck, I did.

He waited until I was calm, and then sat up so I could see the muscles in his throat work as he _swallowed_.

"Wow," I gasped.

He nodded very seriously. "Wow."

I laughed. "Dallas Winston just gave me a blow job," I sighed, unable to believe it. "And he swallowed!" I exclaimed then, leaping at him for a kiss.

After a few kisses, he laughed at me. "Go to sleep, kid."

We fell asleep holding each other, and that time when I woke up, he was still there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders.**

**A/N: Waaay too short, but it's being submitted with two other chapters so that's okay. MAJIKAL UPDATENESS!!!**

I grew up in New York City. Things were tough there—not enough food for me and my mom, who had run east when she had me 'cause my dad would beat her. I got into gang shit early—I had to learn to fight or I wouldn't have made it. By the time I was ten this gang had noticed me. They tried to get me to steal stuff for them, and I ended up getting caught and arrested. I spent the next four years in and out of jail, bars, and fights, trying to balance not getting killed with taking care of mom, who (let's face it) was a decent parent… but only when she wasn't drinking.

By the time I was fourteen, I'd had enough. I went to Tulsa, where I was born, to try and find my father after my mother found a new guy that lasted over a month. That was a rare occurrence, and I figured if he'd stuck around that long, then _he_ could take care of her. I didn't tell the gang where I was going, I just took some clothes and left. In Tulsa, I found my new gang—not an organized gang, just a group of friends. Darry, Two-Bit, Steve, Soda, and Johnny, and sort-of Pony. I hung around with them for two years, until I was sixteen and by that time I'd fallen head over heels for Johnny. Which you already knew. I guess my point is that I didn't feel anything for anybody except Johnny. I'd learned that you couldn't afford to feel. But Johnny… I just couldn't help it. It freaked me out, too. Not just because he was a guy. I'd always been able to keep cool and control myself, to keep from feeling. And with Johnny, that was impossible. So I guess I sort of gave in.

January 1966, about four months after Johnny and I started dating, was a rough month. I went to the Curtis house and we stayed up all night on New Year's Eve. We all got a little buzzed, and Mrs. Curtis watched with mixed amusement and disapproval. Even Mr. Curtis had a bit too much to drink, but he was a pleasant drunk, unlike my father or Johnny's. We talked, we laughed, and we stayed up till well after midnight, screaming and keeping the whole neighborhood up.

Two weeks later they were gone.

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis died in a car crash. They were killed instantly from the head-on impact. Pony, Soda, and Darry were more focused on the fact that they were _gone_, but I couldn't stop thinking about the unfairness of it all. It was the other guy's fault—he had been driving on the wrong side of the road, drunk, and hit them straight-on… and he wasn't killed. Oh, he was bruised up, but somehow the fact that he drove a bigger car was his redemption. I didn't understand. That didn't make him a better person; it didn't make him deserve to live longer than the Curtises. But he lived, and Mr. and Mrs. Curtis died.

It pissed me off.

I had really liked the Curtises. Sure, they fed me and stuff and let me crash at their house when my dad was drunk, but that wasn't the only reason. They weren't squares—they _got _it. They understood, at least more than most parents did.

So yeah, I guess I cared about someone besides Johnny. Look where that got me.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Still don't own.**

**A/N: Johnny cuteness ahead! I hope.**

* * *

"Hey, Dal," I stammered. "I was wondering…"

"Yeah?" he squinted one eye up at me. The February morning was bright and sunny, but cold enough that we could see our breath. We were in the park, me sitting on a bench and him on the ground, leaning his head up against it.

"I was wondering if I could… takeyououttodinnertonight."

"Like a date? In public, Johnny? Come on," he sighed.

"Well, not exactly… just… out to dinner. Well… yeah," I babbled. "Like a date. Only we wouldn't _act _like it. So nobody would know."

"Then what's the point?" he asked, leaning his head back against the bench and shifting his hips a little on the ground, trying to get comfortable. "If we can't even act like it's a date, then we may as well not go."

"But we would know," I said softly. I knew this wasn't real rejection—Dally was just trying to be safe—but all the same, it felt like it.

"Aw, come on, Johnnycake," he sighed, lifting himself up on the bench beside me. "You know I'd like to, but I just don't see the point."

Of course he didn't see the point. He probably didn't even know what fucking day it was. Well, he could sit there and be clueless. "I just wanted today to be special for us," I hinted. "I was thinking maybe we could go for dinner and then over to Buck's…" trailing off, I gave him a very specific look. Dally grinned, and I knew that was all it would take. Just bribe him with sex and I'm good to go…

That night I met Dally a block away from his house. I had a wad of money in my pocket—some mine from my job as a paper boy, some stolen from my parents—and was wondering if he had figured it out yet. Clearly he hadn't, 'cause he was talking about Sylvia.

She was Dally's 'girlfriend'. It was just to keep people from getting suspicious, he told me all the time, and I guess I believed him. It just pissed me of a little bit that he wanted to talk about her tonight of all nights.

The whole way to the restaurant, he talked about the movie they had seen the night before. So really, he wasn't even talking about _her_, just being with her. In public. Something I couldn't do.

Finally, I got a little annoyed. "Dally, could you shut up?"

"So I'm supposed to sit through dinner without talking?" He stopped walking and looked at me dangerously.

"I mean about _her._"

"Oh," he said, understanding. "Yeah, sure."

We started walking again.

"Johnny—" he began.

"Never mind," I said, sensing an apology. "It's fine." I meant it. I couldn't stay mad at him for long. Maybe Dally didn't believe me though, because he threw an arm across my shoulders after looking around to make sure no one was near us.

"Come on, kid," he whispered. "You know she ain't nothin' to me. You know it's all you."

I knew it, I guess, but it was nice hearing him say it. He didn't say stuff like that often. I grinned up at him.

At the restaurant (which was decorated with hearts all over the place, and STILL he didn't get it) we were given a table in the middle of the room. Damn. No privacy… guess they didn't think we'd need any since we didn't look like a couple.

It wasn't a really nice place, or too expensive, but it was nice enough that we looked out of place. They brought us salads before the meal, and Dally looked confused on which fork to use. He sipped his coke uncomfortably.

"Relax, Dal," I laughed. I vaguely remembered coming to this restaurant with my parents, aunt and uncle, and cousins when I was younger. Dally was making a big deal out of nothing. "Nobody's watching."

"You don't feel out-of-place?" he asked incredulously.

"'Course I do, but it don't matter." The food was brought out then, and I smiled at the opportunity mine presented.

Dally, starving, of course, was very focused on his spaghetti, but I could wait. I ate my penne pasta with alfredo sauce very messily, making sure to get some on my face. Then, when Dally finally looked up at me, I licked the white sauce all off slowly and deliberately. His eyes widened. I kept eating, playing innocent.

For desert I ordered vanilla ice cream.

Dally looked like he wanted to jump me right there.

His chocolate cake sat abandoned on the plate. He was in such a hurry to get out of the restaurant and over to Buck's that he hadn't wanted desert. But I ordered it for him. As I kept eating my ice cream (exactly like I had eaten the pasta), he picked up a fork and smashed up his cake into little pieces.

Finally, the waiter came with the check. I could handle it, but I would be broke for a while. Dally looked uncomfortable as I paid.

"What?" I hissed after handing the waiter the money.

"I don't wanna make you pay for shit," he whispered. "This place is nice."

"Too late," I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "You like it?"

"Oh yeah, you looked hot."

I sighed. "The food, Dallas."

"Ah," he pretended to realize. "Yeah, that was good too."

I just rolled my eyes. The waiter brought the receipt and we stood up to leave.

"Thanks for dinner," Dally said as we slipped our coats on. Then, walking towards the door, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "And the show."

As soon as we were outside, he dragged me into the alley outside the restaurant and looked around quickly before pinning me to the wall. His lips were on mine before I could speak, hands pressing on my shoulders, keeping me where he wanted me. I wasn't complaining, but I had something else in mind.

It took all my strength, but I managed to push Dally off of my and shove him against the wall instead. He looked surprised and less-than-willing, so I whispered, "Relax. Let me…" And he let me.

I kissed him hard, waiting until I could feel that he was giving in to me before moving down to his neck, biting and leaving hickeys for the world to see. I bit his earlobe, standing on tiptoe, and then whispered in his ear. "You know what day it is?"

He frowned, thinking about it. "Um… no?"

I laughed and kissed him again. "Happy Valentine's."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Do not own the Outsiders.**

**A/N: Don't really like this one. If you all don't, leave reviews and I'll rework it. Or if you do like it, tell me and feed my ego some breakfast.**

**EDIT: ROFL. I didn't want to write "motherfucking" while this was saved on my home computer, so I typed something like "motherEHGNEWL" and thought I would remember to change it later. Well, I'm so smart that I didn't.**

I don't know how I knew something was wrong. I just knew. The running footsteps outside first tipped me off, and when I looked out the window, I could just barely see the lot and the cluster of people standing over something. _My_ people, I realized; _my_ gang. And something was definitely very wrong.

I left the house then, walking slowly and dreading what I would see. I saw Soda, Steve, Ponyboy, and Two-Bit; Darry was running towards them. That left Johnny… and suddenly I realized why they were upset, why Johnny wasn't standing with them, what the object on the grund was. That was when I started running.

As I approached, Ponyboy turned towards me. He was a little green, and he seemed to be shaking. I felt the same way when I looked down at Johnny. Blood dotted the front of his t-shirt and covered his face, along with lots of bruises and puffed-out, swollen skin. His face was sliced open on one side, pouring blood. His chest moved up and down quickly and shallowly. I'd seen dead people before—I'd _watched_ people get killed—but this wasn't the same, this was my Johnny. My stomach lurched and I swallowed hard.

My Johnnycake…

"Fuck," I cursed, whirling around and looking out over the otherwise empty lot, not knowing what else to do. My heart was pounding. I needed to know if he was okay. _Please, Johnny, be okay. Please._

"Johnny?" I heard Soda's voice behind me, but I didn't turn around. It couldn't be a reaction to Johnny waking up, everyone would have made some sort of noise—Soda was just trying to get him to open his eyes. "Hey, Johnnycake."

"Soda?"

There was the gasp from everyone. But that wasn't the noise that made my heart stop and then swell and start beating fast all over again—it was the sound of his voice that did it. I turned back around instantly and dropped to my knees next to Johnny, who hadn't yet opened his eyes.

"Yeah," Soda soothed, holding the younger boy against his shoulder, "It's me. Don't talk. You're gonna be okay."

Johnny's eyes opened and he ignored what Sodapop had said. "There was a whole bunch of 'em," he said shakily, clinging to Soda's shoulder but staring at me. I wanted to be holding him, I needed to hold him. I needed to feel his heartbeat keep going and know that he was going to be okay. "A blue Mustang full…" he continued. "I got so scared… Shi—!" he couldn't even finish the cuss word before breaking down.

Soda held him tighter as Johnny fought for control. The fact that he couldn't get it made him cry harder. "It's okay, Johnnycake, they're gone now," Soda kept saying. "It's okay."

Gasping and still sobbing, Johnny finally managed to talk. "I-I was lookin' for your football—" he was talking to Soda "—and this blue Mustang pulled up with f-four Socs in it. They got me, and they said…" he couldn't finish. He started bawling again, taking a good five minutes or so before he could get any more words out. He wouldn't tell us what the Socs had said to him or what they had threatened to do, but he managed to choke out that one was wearing a ring—which was why his face was cut up. The whole time he was talking, my hands were clenched into fists. It was hard to restrain myself from jumping up and going to look for those motherfucking Socs.

By the time he finished it was dark, and getting colder and colder. "C'mon Johnnycake, let's go inside," Soda said softly, starting to stand up. Johnny left one arm around Soda's shoulder and I quickly ducked under the other to help him walk. He gave me a pained smile as we took the first step, but stared straight ahead and bit his lip after that. _It's hurting him to walk,_ I realized. A fresh wave of anger rolled over me and I was desperate to do something… to make it stop hurting him, or to go in search of those bastards… I didn't know. But I felt powerless, which was weird.

Finally Soda and I got him to lie down on the couch. Two-Bit and Steve sort of hovered in the kitchen with Ponyboy—I don't think the kid could stand to look at Johnny this way—and the two older Curtis boys and I started trying to clean him up. Without hesitation we stripped off his bloody t-shirt. Soda gasped and I gritted my teeth when we saw the bruises covering his chest.

"Broken ribs?" I asked Darry, who was staring at Johnny intently. The injured boy's eyes flickered to me.

Very gently Darry began to prod at Johnny's chest. Johnny winced as the fingers hit a few places, and cried out in pain when they touched one particularly dark bruise. Darry nodded. "Yeah, think so." My nails bit into my palms before I realized I had been clenching my hands. I let out a deep breath.

"You okay?" Darry asked Johnny. "Hurt to breathe?"

Johnny nodded. "A little."

Sighing, Darry said, "We should probably take you to the hospital, but since I ain't your parent…"

"And my parents won't want to bother," Johnny finished. Darry nodded apologetically. The younger boy tried to shrug like it didn't matter, but that was a pretty stupid thing to do with broken ribs if you asked me. He winced.

Soda, as they were talking, had gone and gotten a rag wet in the sink, and he was now sitting on the floor next to the couch, gently wiping dried blood off Johnny's face and talking softly the whole time. Finally he looked up and announced, "Darry, I think this needs stitches."

Darry sighed again, and after staring at Johnny for a long time, he picked him up and carried him, bridal style, outside. "I'll be back soon," he yelled over his shoulder. "Soda, make Pony go to bed before too long."

Guess Johnny was getting his stitches.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I've had this written for a long time but guess whose computer wouldn't let her post this? Anywho, now it's up. YAY!

Don't own it.

* * *

My own breathing seemed too loud to me.

That was the first thought that hit me when I woke up, before I even opened my eyes. I frowned, not fully awake, and tried to breathe quieter. It felt weird, so I just let myself breathe normally again.

Then I realized that I was definitely not in my own bed. The sheets were clean and a little bit scratchy. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a white room with early morning sunlight coming through a window and Darry asleep in a chair next to it. _A hospital,_ I remembered. _Darry took me to the hospital._

Absentmindedly I brought one hand up to my face, which was stinging a little bit. I found a bandage over my cheekbone and frowned. Then, carefully but not carefully enough, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I felt sharp pain in several places throughout my chest, and, since I didn't expect it, I couldn't help but cry out a soft, "Ow!"

Darry sat up straight instantly and practically leaped over to the bed when he saw me awake. "You crazy, kid? You've got like four broken ribs!"

I winced, gently settling myself back down. "I noticed," I remarked dryly. "Good morning to you, too."

He grinned and dragged the chair closer. "Bad morning. _Early_ morning. Go back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"I dunno, like seven," he sighed, running his hands through his hair.

I stared at him. "Have you been here this whole time?"

Darry shook his head. "I went home and talked to Soda, then came back. You had to get a bunch of stitches, and some of your ribs are broken, so I didn't wanna leave you alone when you woke up."

I smiled. "Thanks."

Eventually a nurse came in and brought me food and Darry went home to get some breakfast and take Pony and Sodapop to school. I just sort of sat there after that, thinking pretty hard. I could remember every detail the whole time I was getting beaten up, so vividly that it made me shudder. They could have killed me, I knew. Anytime in the future, whenever they felt like it, they could kill me easily if I gave them the chance.

I didn't plan to give them the chance.

Around noon, I was sleeping lightly when I heard tentative footsteps in my room. I knew it couldn't be the nurse—her clicky shoes never paused when she walked in. But I was surprised to see, when I opened my eyes, that the hesitating steps came from Dally.

"Hey," I said when I saw him there.

In a rare, brief burst of affection, Dally ran to me. Very gently he took my bandaged face in his hands and kissed me, open-mouthed but softly. He stayed close even after breaking the kiss, resting his forehead on mine.

"Johnny," he whispered, voice breaking, and I felt warm liquid drops falling from his face onto mine.

"Dal, it's okay; I'm okay!" I assured him. "Don't cry; I'm okay…"

He stopped immediately once he realized what he was doing, pulling back, wiping his face, and seating himself in the chair. "You're good?" he asked, sounding cool but still staring at me intensely.

I nodded. "I'm sore, but I'm gonna be fine." A moment later I heard a light clicking sound from the hall, and watched the nurse walk in, carrying a tray with my lunch on it.

She glanced at Dally, who was glaring daggers at her. If she noticed his slightly red eyes, she knew better than to mention them. Quickly she handed me the tray, which I balanced on my lap, and two small white pills, which I swallowed. Then she walked out as quickly as she had come.

"Wait!" Dally said as she reached the doorway. The nurse paused. "When's he get outta here?" he asked, jerking his head at me.

"If everything goes well, tomorrow morning. We want to keep an eye on his ribs and make sure nothing funny happens with them."

After she was gone, Dally turned to me. "You've got broken ribs?" I nodded. "How many?"

"Four."

"Does it still hurt to breathe?"

"Not as bad anymore."

"What about swallowing?"

"Oh, you know I'd love to, but since we're in public and all…" I smirked at him.

Dally shook his head. "I'm not making sex jokes here, for once. Seriously, you eating okay?"

I could tell that he was still worried, so I nodded. "See?" I took a large bite of the sandwich on the tray.

Dallas stayed the rest of the afternoon, and I felt sorta bad 'cause I wasn't very good company. I was just so damn _tired_—I had to take another nap later because my eyes just wouldn't stay open. When I woke up from that one, Dally was lying next to me, awake and running his fingers through my hair.

I yawned. "Sorry, Dal, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm just so—"

"Don't worry about it," he cut me off. "You wanna sleep some more?"

Shaking my head, I shifted a little closer to him. He noticed the wince that followed from the pain in my ribs. "Can I see 'em?" he asked quietly.

I didn't think that was such a good idea; knowing Dal the sight of my bruised chest would piss him off at all those Socs and he'd do something stupid. But I also knew that he probably wouldn't take no for an answer, and if he had to get my chest bare by force, he would. It might be a little difficult to explain to the nurse why the boy in my room with me had ripped off my hospital gown.

So I just sighed and threw off the blankets, pulling up the stupid hospital gown to expose my chest. Dally bit his lip at the bruises that I couldn't lift my head up far enough to see. "Is it bad?"

He cocked his head to one side, still staring. "Yeah, kinda… you're all purple." He placed his hand on my chest, where I remembered the worst bruise was. "That hurt?"

"No, but don't push any harder, alright?"

"'Kay," he said distractedly, turning to look over his shoulder outside the room. After half second he leapt off my bed and stood next to me, still pressing his fingers lightly onto my bruises. A minute later, I saw why he had moved—disaster was coming into the room in the form of the Curtises, Steve, and Two-Bit.

"Hey, Johnny!" Two-Bit yelled, hugging me carefully but still enthusiastically.

"You okay?" Ponyboy asked softly, lingering by the door. I nodded and grinned at him, glad to see my best friend.

As everyone relaxed and started all talking at once, I caught Dally's eye and grinned.

"Love ya," he mouthed.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Oh goodness. ManXMan love here... *breathes*. That was difficult to write. Please review and let me know what you thought of it so the effort doesn't go to waste!**

The lion had found its prey.

I, of course, was the lion. The prey was walking down the street in front of me, and didn't know I was there. I intended to let it know that I was.

If you haven't guessed by now, the prey was Johnny Cade.

Slowly and quietly I crept up towards him, waiting until I was close enough, and then I ran at him. He whipped around, alarmed, at the last half-second before I sprang at him, pushing my hands off of his shoulders, flying off the ground, swinging around him, and landing on his other side. I was laughing my head off; Johnny wasn't laughing. When I looked up his chest was heaving and his eyes were wide, and he had a switchblade out.

"Whoa, you okay?" I asked, standing slowly.

He nodded, slowly flicking the blade closed and replacing it in his pocket. I shoved my hand in after it and brought it out again, examining it. It wasn't anything too fancy like Two-Bit's, but it would certainly do the job.

"God, Johnny," I breathed, shocked and impressed. "This thing's gotta be six inches long. When'd you get this?"

He looked down at his shoes. "Right after they let me outta the hospital. I figured it'd be safer to have it."

I nodded, sticking out my hand to give him the knife back. "Sorry I scared ya, kid," I added as he took the blade from me. He shrugged jerkily, starting to walk in the direction he had been going.

"Where ya goin'?"

"Pony's house," he replied, starting to look calmer. "We were gonna play some football this afternoon; wanna come?"

"Yeah, sure," I shrugged. "Everybody going?"

He nodded. "Think so."

We didn't talk much after that, but we walked with our shoulders close together. As we rounded the corner of the Curtises' street, I looked down at him and he grinned. I wiggled my eyebrows.

Everyone except Steve was there when we arrived. Our usual teams were Johnny, Pony, Two-Bit, and Superman against me, Steve, and Soda. Since Steve wasn't there, Soda and I took Johnny on our side for a couple plays as we waited for him. I tried to tackle Darry at one point and nearly knocked myself out. I heard laughter as I was standing up and shaking my head to clear it. Steve was there, with a black eye but looking good-humored.

"You okay, buddy?" Soda asked, walking over to his best friend.

"Yeah, my dad was kinda pissed at me. It's all good," Steve said, laughter dying down. Nobody said anything, not wanting to upset him; we just started our game.

When you really thought about it, our teams weren't fair at all. You had Pony, the track runner, who nobody could catch; Johnny, who wasn't exactly a slowpoke himself; Two-Bit, who wasn't that good but was at least an extra body; and Darry, who you couldn't take out if you ran him over with a truck. Then you had Soda and Steve, who mostly joked around rather than actually trying, and me. I was an okay player, but Darry and Two-Bit could both tackle me easily if they caught me.

Still, today, my mind wasn't on winning. It was warm out and the way we were all hot and sweaty had given me ideas (Hey-- can you blame me? I was a seventeen-year-old guy, for Chrissake!).

Every time Johnny had the ball, I went for him, tackling him as hard as I could without hurting him. I would remain on top of him for a few seconds longer than necessary before helping him up and squeezing his hand. He knew what I was doing, and began to subtly shift his hips each time. An hour later all of us had stripped of our shirts, it was so hot, and Johnny was running as fast as he could, putting all of his energy into our little 'game.' I caught him every time, pressing our bare chests together and jerking my hips against his when I thought no one was looking.

After we were all exhausted, we headed inside to watch some TV and raid the Curtises' fridge. I promised to bring over some more Pepsi tomorrow, since we drank all of theirs and my dad wouldn't be home to stop me from taking his. We sat on the living room floor, bottles everywhere, and before long, not ready for our 'game' to end, me and Johnny were wrestling.

I pinned him easily the first time, then started easing up on him slightly so he would have a chance. I liked to watch him fight for it, feel his body working against mine, and he certainly did fight for it. Once I had him almost pinned and he writhed away, accidentally kicking over a bottle of Pepsi as he ran for it.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Darry yelled after us as I chased Johnny up the stairs. He shrieked almost like a girl as I lunged for his shirt, but I missed.

"Missed me, missed me!" Johnny chanted, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out.

The next time, I didn't miss. I had him right where I wanted him-- between me and the wall.

"Now you gotta kiss me?" he whispered hopefully, finishing his rhyme. I kissed him as hard as I could, shoving my tongue into his mouth and feeling my heartbeat quicken. After teasing all afternoon, finally tasting him was like the first sip of Pepsi, coming in from the exhausting football game. It left me refreshed... and ready for more. "Dal..." he sighed when I pulled away.

Most definitely ready for more.

"My dad went down to Broken Arrow for the week," I whispered, throwing subtlety to the winds. "You wanna come over?" I pressed my hips harder against his to illustrate my point. Johnny nodded breathlessly, kissing me again.

It was difficult to control myself as Johnny and I said goodbye to the gang, walked the few blocks over to my dad's house, and flung open the door. As soon as it was closed, I attacked his mouth with mine, kissing him harder than I ever had before. I didn't think I'd ever wanted him so badly before.

After kissing just inside the doorway for a few minutes, I began to drag him towards my room. I slept away from my dad's house more often than not, and I never brought any friends over-- there was always the chance my dad would be in a bad mood. Today, though, he was miles away, and I had my boyfriend and my bedroom all to myself.

I pinned Johnny to the door after pulling him into my bedroom and flipping the lights on. It was messy, and I decided to add to the mess by yanking his shirt off and throwing it to the floor. He arched gracefully, moaning and showing off every single rib peeking through his tan skin, when I leaned downwards to suck on his left nipple.

"D-Dal!" he panted wildly as I bit down. His hands weakly scrabbled at the bottom of my shirt before I took pity on him and helped him take it off. By then I was painfully hard (as--let's face it--I had been all afternoon). I undid his belt and he fumbled with my jeans and then we both realized that we hadn't taken our shoes off so we had to break apart and kick them off before coming back together for another ferocious kiss. I could feel his small hands on my back, nails digging in, driving me insane. I pushed him to the bed I hadn't made in years, never letting my lips leave his. Once he was there, I reached for his cock, but he grabbed my hands away.

Grinning, he said, "I'm ready."

I knew what he meant instantly. The little pussy hadn't let me fuck him yet-- there had been lots of handjobs and lots of oral, but for almost eight months, no real, actual intercourse. He had said he wasn't 'ready' yet, and that he would let me know when he was. Had it been anyone but Johnny, I would have dumped them in a heartbeat. Since it was Johnny, I waited patiently for him, as he always knew I would.

"You sure?" I asked, heartbeat speeding up again. I couldn't wait to feel him...

Johnny nodded. "Yep," he whispered. "Take me."

It took all of my effort to stop from entering him right there. There was lube in the nightstand; I reached for it. I got some on my hands and kissed him while inserting a finger. He made this odd little noise, and I pulled back to see if he was alright. He didn't look like he was in pain, but the expression on his face was curious. When he noticed I was staring, he clarified, "Feels weird..."

I nodded, moving my finger in and out a few times. "It'll be great if I can just-" He yelped. I grinned. "Found it!"

Once I thought he was ready, I added a second finger and then a third. Johnny looked a little uncomfortable by then, but I kept kissing him and talking to him quietly, and I could tell he had no intentions of backing out.

"You ready, Johnnycake?" I whispered, aching with need for him.

He nodded slowly, biting his lip. "Will you stop if I need you to?"

"'Course," I assured him. "Tell me if you do." I kissed him one last time before putting some lube on myself and pressing into him. He hissed and winced, and I waited, though the sensation was so wonderful that I wanted to fuck his brains out.

"You okay?" I asked after a few seconds.

A few more seconds later, he let out a shaky breath. I could feel him forcing himself to relax around me. "Yeah," he said, voice slightly strained. "Go for it."

I didn't hesitate. The first few thrusts I went slowly, trying to find a good angle and not hurt him.

"Dally!" he moaned. "More, please..."

"Fuck, Johnny..." I groaned, obeying. When Johnny begged for more I gave him more; when he shifted his hips I tried to match the movement so I was hitting his spot. I had never felt anything so pleasurable-- he was tighter than any girl I'd ever slept with.

"Oh- oh God, Dal!" he cried out when my hips went towards him _just right_. I did it again, and he gave a wordless yell. I'd never seen Johnny so out of control like this; it was unbelievably sexy. His hands searched for something to cling to, eventually he wrapped one around my neck and fisted the other in the sheets. As the pressure built, I bit down on his shoulder. He squirmed a little bit, nearly sending me over the edge.

"Johnny!" I cried out, giving a few more desperate thrusts before...

"Dally! Oh, God, Dally!"

"Fuck, Johnny!"

Our orgasms hit us at the same time, both of us screaming out each other's name as he came on our stomachs and I shot inside him.

It was quite possibly my best time.

A few minutes later, after we were in control of ourselves again, I drew my shaking boyfriend into my arms and lay back on the bed.

"Glad you let me fuck you?"

"Yeah," he laughed, still shaking.

"Johnny..."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He looked shocked, but smiled. "I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Nearing the end here, folks. =[ It's a wee bit short, but not ridiculously so. And for clarification, when I say weed, I don't mean actual weed... don't they say 'weed' just to mean a normal cigarette? Or am I stupid?**

**Other than that...Umm... enjoy?**

**Johnny POV  
**

"Soda! Darry! Anybody!"

The cry came as I was sitting on my porch having a weed. I heard more yelling and saw someone run so fast in front of my house that they were a blur. By now I had recognized Ponyboy's voice and I jumped up, stubbed out the cigarette, and ran towards the commotion.

"Shut him up, for Pete's sake, shut him up!" a harsh, quick voice yelled and I saw a second later that it was a Soc with some friends, one sitting on top of Pony and slugging him. Two-Bit, Steve, Soda, Darry... everyone was there, running with me. Everyone including Dally. I did a double take, never stopping my feet, but then I couldn't look anymore because we were chasing the Socs and I had to concentrate.

There were five Socs and four of us-- me, Dally, Steve, and Two-Bit. Darry and Soda must have stayed back with Pony, I realized. I was barely able to focus on the fight, because Dally was there and he was real and I hadn't seen him for two months... he got picked up by the police and was supposed to serve ninety days after getting caught in a fight with switchblades out, ready to kill. It hadn't been ninety days yet, but I didn't have time to figure out exactly how long it really had been-- I was kinda slow anyway, and it's not too easy to do math when you're chasing five guys bigger than you one of them had just turned around and... aw, shit.

His aim was bad—instead of hitting Two-Bit in the stomach, the punch landed a little off to the side, but it was hard enough to make him double over.

"Hey, shit-bag!" Dally yelled, keeping it clean compared to how he usually talked. He started picking up rocks from the ground and chucking them at the Socs. Following his lead, the rest of us joined in and pelted them with rocks until they ran back to their car. I could tell Two-Bit was disappointed (surely he wanted a fight) but honestly, I was glad they got away as we turned around and made our way back to the Curtis boys.

When we got there, Pony wiped his eyes hurriedly (I wasn't one to judge him for crying, but the rest of the guys would) and asked, "Didja catch 'em?"

Two-Bit, fully recovered from the punch he had taken, replied, "Nup. They got away this time, the dirty mother-f***ing..." I stopped listening. I got the point.

"The kid's okay?" Steve asked. I was kinda surprised that he would ask about Pony, 'cause he seemed to hate Soda's kid brother, but maybe he was trying to be nice for Soda's sake.

"I'm okay," said Pony, a little shakily. He looked around and I could tell he was trying to think of something to say. His eyes landed on Dally. "I didn't know you were out of the cooler yet, Dally."

"Good behavior. Got off early." Finally he looked at me. I had been wondering if he was ever going to. As he lit me a cigarette, the message in his eyes was plain—_We'll talk soon._ I took the cancer stick from him and noticed that he was wearing his ring again. Something had happened with Sylvia, then.

Cigarettes were passed around and everybody sat down on the ground. "Nice-lookin' bruise you got there, kid," Two-Bit was making conversation. I could feel the tension because Dal was there, and I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things or if everyone else could feel it too. Surely they had to be able to feel it... that had to be what was making everything feel so awkward.

"Nice cut, too," I heard Two-Bit say. I wasn't really listening. Darry's reprimands towards Pony drifted hazily through my mind. Seeing Dally again had sent my body reeling with need for him. I hadn't really thought about how long it had been since I had slept with him, but now that I thought about it, it was a long time since I had gotten anything. Him being there was driving me crazy.

"Speakin' of movies—" I was paying attention instantly 'cause it was Dally's voice "--I'm walkin' over to the Nightly Double tomorrow night. Anybody want to come and hunt some action?" Steve, Soda, and Darry all said no, but Pony said yes for the two of us. He knew I wouldn't talk unless I had to.

"I was plannin' on getting boozed up tomorrow night," said Two-Bit, leaving just the three of us to go. "If I don't, I'll walk over and find y'all."

"You break up with Sylvia again?" Steve, too, had noticed that Dally was wearing his ring.

"Yeah, and this time it's for good." I tried not to look too happy. "That little broad was two-timin' me again while I was in jail." That seemed a bit unfair to me, considering that he'd been two-timing her with me for a while now, but if it meant I had him all to myself, I wasn't complaining.

After the subject changed and we had sat there for a few more minutes, Darry turned to his youngest brother. "You got homework, Pony?"

"A little," Ponyboy replied.

"We're gonna get going, then," Darry helped Soda up off the ground. "See y'all later," he added.

Shortly after, Two-Bit left to go meet with Kimberly, his current blonde, and Steve went home as well. Dally didn't look at me, just puffed hard on his cigarette.

Finally, after too much silence, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "So... how was jail?"

Dal turned his gaze on me, wearing the familiar 'are you stupid?' face. I grinned sheepishly at him until he grinned back, looked around quickly, and pecked me on the lips. "It was okay," he added afterwards. "Shorter than I expected."

I nodded, feeling awkward. "That's... good."

"So Johnny... ya know how I broke up with Sylvia?"

Again I nodded, slowly this time.

"Well I was thinkin' maybe you'd wear it..."

"The ring?" I asked stupidly.

"No, my underwear!" he said sarcastically. "Of course the ring."

I beamed despite my earlier dumb comment. "You don't care if people see?"

"Well look," he began. "I got this. See, look, I have this chain." He took a while getting the ring off his finger, then slid it on the chain and clasped it around my neck. "You could wear it under your shirt."

I felt the weight of the large ring against my skin and the symbolism in it—it meant commitment. From Dallas Winston.

"Thanks, Dal," I said softly. He almost-blushed, smiling a little and taking another drag from the last of his cancer stick.

"I missed you," I added.

"Missed ya too, kid." He threw an arm around my shoulders. I could sense that there was something he wanted to say, but was refraining. Sighing, I decided to just say what I knew he wanted to say and get it out in the open.

"I missed you especially at night in bed..." I whispered. "It was real lonely without you... In fact, I'm feeling kinda 'lonely' right now."

After pressing a kiss to my temple, Dally dragged me up until we were standing. "You know," he said, "I think I can fix that."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yay, update! This story is almost finished. Some dialogue from this chapter is taken from the book.**

Damn Tim Shepard. One of these days one of us is gonna kill the other.

Okay, yeah, so I slashed his tires. Which I shouldn't have done. But I just got outta jail, come on! A guy needs a little fun, right? Except that we ended up in a full-out brawl, skin on skin. Now he won't be able to see out of his left eye for a while, but I took a few solid punches in the ribs.

So now I'm at Buck's place, trying to get some sleep. And he's barging in on me, mumbling about some kids wanting to see me.

"Huh?" I ask, sitting up and pulling myself into full consciousness, wincing at the pain in my ribs.

"Pony and Johnny or somethin', said they wanted to see ya," he drawled, and I rolled my eyes. I wouldn't have minded Johnny unless Pony was with him. But, shirtless and still tired, I pulled myself up out of bed to go see what they wanted.

After making my way through the party, I found the two kids standing outside the door, Ponyboy drenched, Johnny pale and wide-eyed, and both shaking.

"Okay, kids," I said calmly, "whatta ya need me for?"

"Dal," Johnny said, fighting tears, "I killed a Soc. There was five of 'em, and they came into the park and were gonna drown Pony in the fountain, and I had to do somethin', and I knifed him-"

"Good for you, kid," I said at that, but he just looked sick.

"I didn't know what to do, but we figured you could get us out if anyone could. I'm sorry we got you away from the party…" he trailed off.

As calm as I was trying to be, I was worried for him, but I shook it off. "Oh, shoot, kid, I was in the bedroom." Johnny looked mad for a second, and Pony blushed hotly.

"Glory, but your ears can get red, Ponyboy." He didn't look up, but shuffled his feet. Grinning, I realized what I had said and how he had interpreted it. "It wasn't anything like that, kid. I was asleep," I explained, "or trying to be, with all this racket. Hank Williams, that shit they're playing…" I muttered. "Me and Shepard had a run-in and I cracked some ribs. I just needed a place to lay over."

I returned Johnny's suddenly concerned gaze with a tight, quick smile before remembering something. "Ponyboy, are you wet?"

"Y-y-yes," he said, shivering.

"Glory hallelujah!" I exclaimed, adding a few swear words and going into lecture mode on autopilot, saying something about pneumonia and leading the two boys inside, only wanting to make sure Johnny was okay.

Once we were in the bedroom I tossed Pony a towel and ordered him to get out of his wet clothes, once again running my mouth about running away and not wearing enough clothes or using his head, but I wasn't even listening to what I was saying. I left the room, quickly bullied Buck into giving me fifty dollars and a gun. I stole a shirt of his too. Focusing on the task kept me mostly calm, but not completely. When I returned to my bedroom I shut the door and, hands shaking just a little, gave the boys the stuff.

"Here," I said, "the gun's loaded. For Pete's sake, Johnny, don't point the thing at me," I snapped, and he set it down on his lap instantly.

"Pony, do Darry and Sodapop know about this?" The fourteen-year-old shook his head. I sighed. "Boy howdy, I ain't itchin' to be the one to tell Darry and get my head busted."

"Then don't tell him!" Pony cried out suddenly, the loudest he'd spoken all night, and tears were falling. Totally helpless in that situation, I just handed him the dry shirt and, on second thought, my leather jacket too.

"It'll get cold where you're going, but you can't risk being loaded down with blankets," I told him, and he nodded, more composed already.

As Pony buttoned the shirt and Johnny fingered the gun nervously, I told them what to do. "Hop the three-fifteen freight to Windrixville. There's an old abandoned church on Jay Mountain. There's a pump in the back so don't worry about water…" as I continued about food and stuff, I watched Johnny carefully. He was scared, yeah, but he wasn't backing out of this and he wasn't panicking. He would be okay, and he would keep Pony safe. But he wasn't happy with himself for killing that Soc… almost absentmindedly I added, "Man, I thought New York was the only place I could get mixed up in a murder rap."

Johnny made a sound in his throat and shuddered, and I gave him what I hoped was a steadying sort of look. He nodded slightly and his eyes flickered to Ponyboy.

"Hey Pony, wait outside for a sec. I gotta talk to Johnny."

A little bit in shock. Pony just nodded dumbly and left. "You okay, kid?" I asked.

Johnny took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll be fine. I just…" tears filled his eyes.

"I know," I said. "But you didn't have a choice. You did the right thing, they woulda killed him."

He nodded again. "Yeah," he whispered.

"Be careful," I said. Johnny swallowed and promised that he would.

"I'll come check on you in a few days," I told him, though I'd already said that. I was stalling.

"I love you," Johnny said quietly.

"Love you too," I replied, kissing him softly for just a moment before striding towards the door and leading the boys outside. "Get goin'!" I told them.

"Take care, kid," I added as I messed up Johnny's hair one last time.

"Sure, Dally, thanks," he replied. I watched them go.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: You guys, I am so, so sorry. I raided my sister's room today and _finally _found my book, read a little bit and started this up. It was done in about an hour and a half, so sorry for mistakes as well. But this is absolutely ridiculous, I know. I have to admit the next one may be pretty long as well-- not as long as this, but I'm kind of dreading writing the end. There will be either one or two chapters left, but I don't want angst! Well, at least more angst than this. So it will be sad :(**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Outsiders or any related characters.**

**And finally, most important, I want to dedicate this chapter to HarmonyWinters. Without her this chapter (and probably quite a bit of this story) may never have happened. So thanks Harmony :) for the inspiration and for the occasional ego boost. **

I hated it in that church.

There was mostly nothing to do. We had a deck of cards, but we were running out of cigarettes to bet with, which cut down on both the amount of time we could spend playing poker and the number of weeds we could smoke. Pony, usually the smart one, didn't quite figure that out, and by the fifth day he was sick from smoking so much and not eating hardly anything. I tried to read _Gone With the Wind_ while he was asleep, but I couldn't concentrate. There were two subjects on my mind – Dally and Bob, the Soc I killed.

I couldn't let myself think. I saw his face every time I did. Sure, I was justified in doing it. I could probably even get off on self-defense if I tried. If I hadn't killed him, Pony would be dead right now, and I most likely would too. But he was a kid – barely older than either of us. It wasn't that I thought he was a good person. I hated him. It was just the knowledge that somehow, I had played God. I had been the one to decide that he wouldn't live. I could still see his eyes widen as the knife went in; I could feel it slide between his ribs. Several times I had started awake during the night and had to sneak off to be sick, not wanting Pony to know. Sitting around and just thinking was no longer an option for me.

I missed being home. Not in my house, but home with the gang. I missed Pony's ramblings and stories. I could barely even listen now. I missed Soda and Steve's almost constant banter, and Two-Bit's wiseass grin. I missed protective, fatherly Darry, acting as a dad for Pony and Soda and even sometimes for me. Most of all, of course, I missed Dal. If the cops found out he was lying about us, he could get in big trouble. Especially for giving us the gun.

As my mind went around and around, I wondered if I would ever see him again.

"Johnnycakes," his voice broke my dream. I whispered his name, praying that I wouldn't wake up and have him disappear.

"Come on, Johnny. It's me, wake up."

Frowning, I opened my eyes. I had been thinking so hard about Bob and then about missing home; I must have fallen asleep.

"Dal!" I said when I saw that he was there, that he wasn't part of my dream.

"Hey, kid," he cracked a grin. "You doin' okay?"

As if I could be anything but wonderful now that he was there. "Fine now. It hasn't been too bad," I added, lying. "We're just bored mostly." I glanced at Pony. "He's smoked himself sick."

Dally grinned. "Well, let's let him sleep. Come outside with me."

I took his hand and followed him out to the back steps. We sat down next to each other and he pulled me in for a rough kiss before letting me go and saying, "Alright, cut the crap. Are you okay?"

I knew I couldn't brush it off this time, so I told him the truth. "I guess so. I get nightmares. I don't let Pony see, though. It's just... I feel like I took something that wasn't mine."

"Yeah, but he was gonna do the same thing with no cause," Dally argued. "You can't think of it that way. You did it to save your life; he was just looking for fun."

"I know," I sighed. "I get that, I guess. I just keep thinking about the feeling... when the knife went in..." My stomach started to churn as I remembered once again. I had to shrug out from under Dally's arm and breathe for a second before I leaned back into him.

"You good?" he asked, squeezing my shoulder.

I nodded. "It's getting better. I didn't sleep at all the first night. It's not so bad now."

"Good," he said, nodding. Absentmindedly he laced and unlaced his fingers with mine.

"How are you?" I asked in return, suddenly noticing the circles under his eyes.

Dally grinned. "Not much that can bother me, kid. The cops have questioned me a few times; Darry's about to rip my head off if I don't tell him where you guys are. But you know, I even kind of miss the kid," he added, jerking his head towards the sleeping Ponyboy.

"And what about me?" I teased. "Glad to get a nice break from me?"

His response surprised me. Shaking his head and laughing in a bitter way, he said, "I've missed you more than you know." There was a funny look in his eye – scared almost, but not, and I couldn't place it exactly.

I just smiled up at him. "I missed you too." I turned my body on the step so that I was facing him more, and I kissed him, gently in contrast to the rough one he had planted on me earlier. When we broke the kiss he pulled me in to lay on him. I listened to his heart beating until a growl interrupted the rhythm.

"Hungry?" I looked up at him, smiling.

"Always," he replied. "How about you?" I nodded enthusiastically and we went inside to get Pony.

Once back in the church, Dally's normal mood was back. He made fun of Ponyboy's hair, complained about being hungry, stole a cigarette. We sped to Dairy Queen, where we ate barbecue sandwiches and Dally showed us his (unloaded) gun.

I told him, on the way back, that I planned on turning myself in. That scared look came back in his eyes, and he pleaded with me, but I didn't listen. Ponyboy needed to get back to his family, and I would be okay. By the time we were back, Dally was mad, but something else demanded our attention as we rounded the corner.

The church was on fire, and the crackling of flames and screams of children reached our ears even from far down the road.

Without a thought, Pony was out of the car, running towards them. He had to have come to the same conclusion that I had – one of us had left a cigarette lit. And now there were kids in the church.

I felt like I had killed Bob all over again. Except this time it was worse, because God knew how many little kids were in there, little kids with families like the one I'd never had, innocent kids who hadn't done anything wrong. I couldn't stop thinking, _What if it's my fault?_

There was nothing to do but follow Ponyboy.

"Johnny! Get the hell back here!" Dally yelled, tears of fear or anger in his eyes.

I just shook my head. "I can't let it kill them, Dal," I cried, breaking my arm from his grasp.

As I turned and ran, I was finally able to place the look that he had worn three times that day: first when he told me he had missed me, then when I announced I was turning myself in, and now, as I was headed for the burning church.

It was a terrified look, like he was scared that something out of his control would take away something important to him.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: OMG! My first long completed story! The angst is just killing me, guys. My Harry Potter story is angst now too, so there's no escape! I would love some fluffy one-shot ideas/prompts to get me less depressed, if anybody has ideas for any of my fandoms.**

**Anyways, I want to thank everyone who read or reviewed this story, especially HarmonyWinters and ClosetSlashFiend. I'm certainly not done with this pairing, so keep eyes open in the future. Without further ado, I present the final chapter of_ Do It For Johnny_.  
**

_No. _It couldn't be true. I had thought I had enough time to go to the rumble and then get back and see him one last time… He couldn't be gone yet. But as I stood there with Pony, he looked so pale and still that I thought for sure Johnny was dead.

"_Hey, kid," I whispered, stepping quietly into the hospital room where Johnny was lying face-down._

"_Hey, Dal," he replied weakly, trying to smile and almost succeeding._

"_Why is it I'm always visiting you in the hospital, huh?"I said as I knelt next to him. His only response was a short exhalation of air that could have been a laugh, if he had the strength. "I'm going to the rumble, Johnny, okay?"_

"_Dal – no – " he began, but I cut him off._

"_Johnny, I've got to do this. I'm doing it for you, don't you get it?"_

"_It's useless," Johnny croaked. "Please, Dally…"_

"_Johnny, please. I need you to keep going for me, okay? Don't give up, kid," I squeezed his hand, and he paled and gasped. "Shit – did I hurt you?"_

_He moved his head a fraction of an inch to the side, as much as he could without more pain. "Nah… it don't matter. I love you, Dally,"_

_Sitting there, looking at him, I couldn't say it. I rarely said it anyway, it just wasn't my style. I knew I should, I knew I might never get another chance. But after the way he had just said it to me, I couldn't do it. It wouldn't mean 'I love you' anyway – it would mean goodbye. _

"Johnnycake?" I asked, begging that he would answer. "Johnny?"

Thank God. His eyes opened slowly, and he stirred for a second and then said, "Hey."

With a sigh of relief, and breathing pretty hard, I said, "We won." He didn't react. "We beat the Socs. We stomped them – chased them outa our territory."

Johnny gave a rattling breath and then said, "Useless… fighting's no good…"

Why didn't he get it? Why didn't he understand I had done it for _him_? "They're still writing editorials about you in the paper. For being a hero and all." Johnny's eyes flickered towards me. My heart wouldn't stop beating too fast. "Yeah, they're calling you a hero now and heroizin' all the greasers. We're all proud of you, buddy." I hoped to God he didn't hear my voice shaking.

His cracked lips split into a grin. Then his eyes moved to a spot behind me. "Ponyboy."

Shit. I had almost forgotten the kid was there. He stepped closer – Johnny's voice was fading.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…"

And just like that the life was gone. I couldn't explain it, I had seen people die before but I had never noticed that loss of energy, the way his body sank into the bed just a little and his skin seemed the tiniest bit darker.

I swallowed hard and pushed his hair back away from his face. I had to say something, anything to stop myself from thinking, so I started with "Never could keep that hair back…" and somehow ended with "That's what you get for tryin' to help people, you little punk, that's what you get…"

_Fuck it_, he was gone… he was gone and he hadn't said goodbye to me because I hadn't given him the chance. I'd heard people say, when talking about suicide or murder or people just plain going crazy – "something snapped" – but I'd never known what they'd meant until then. Something was ripping, tearing deep inside my chest and I couldn't make it stop, and I wanted to pick Johnny up and shake him and kiss him and breathe the fucking life back into him as if that could make it okay.

I didn't notice leaving the hospital room, or hitting anything, but the next thing I knew my knuckles were bleeding and I was in the car and crying and whispering "Johnny, please don't die," over and over and over. I wasn't sure where I was driving and I couldn't see the road too good, but I kept going until the car pulled into a grocery store parking lot, seemingly of its own accord.

There was another minute I didn't remember then, but I did remember walking into the grocery store and fingering the gun I had hidden inside my jeans jacket. I didn't really ever make a conscious decision to rob the store, but there I was holding the gun up to the clerk and asking for the money, halfway begging him to refuse so I would have a reason to shoot and maybe then it would stop, maybe it wouldn't hurt so bad…

But he gave me the money and I left, and I heard him calling the cops as I walked out the door. I didn't bother with the car, I just ran for the nearest pay phone and called Darry.

I wasn't sure why I asked for help, it wasn't like it would matter anyway. But he agreed to meet me in the lot to hide me, so I started heading that way. I ran and ran, and the burning in my chest turned into something less deep and more physical as I ran out of breath and still didn't stop. I think it was then that the idea really hit me – the idea that this new pain in my chest, this physical pain, was so much easier to deal with. And that idea turned into a plan as the lot came into view.

On the far side, I saw the gang, and behind me, I heard sirens.

It was in the moment I came under the streetlight that I knew what I had to do, and in that same moment that I did it. It would make it stop hurting – actually, it would hurt like hell, but not _really_, and hopefully not for very long. It would end it, if all went well… and I was Dallas Winston and there was no way it wouldn't go well.

I pulled the gun from under my jacket and raised it at the cops.

I think I was aware of what was going on around me for a second even after I was dead, so maybe Johnny was right about souls and all that crap. Either way, I saw the cops coming towards me, and heard the shots keep going even after I stopped feeling the pain. I saw the gangs' faces and watched Steve crumple and Soda catch him, and then I saw Pony sway and, as he fell to the ground and blacked out, so did I.

I don't know how much time passed before the darkness lifted. It could have been a second or maybe years, or maybe time stopped mattering. I do know that the first thing I saw was Johnny's face.


End file.
